


I Will Remember You As You Were

by Angry_Face



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Hurt No Comfort, crack theory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:00:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23218900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angry_Face/pseuds/Angry_Face
Summary: Atlas is under siege from Salem's endless Grimm army and Qrow meets someone from his past that should stay there.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	I Will Remember You As You Were

Alarms were blaring, filling the halls of iron bars and isolation cells with a wailing that shook Qrow's brain. He did not know what was going on outside the prison, but he knew it was not good. Robyn had chosen a different path when they broke out of their cell, saying she was going to secure her Happy Huntresses and a way out while Qrow went to get their weapons. It was a solid plan, but the rioting prisoners were not really cooperating with him.

Slinging fists and kicks, Qrow ran past a large window that overlooked the yard and saw nothing but chaos. Dead and injured littered the ground while the sky promised armageddon just outside. He could just make out the shapes against the choking light, and while they had wings like birds, he had a funny feeling that they were far from it. Picking up speed, he rushed past a slumped body on the floor and ran past a hallway.

"Qrow,"

The man nearly collapsed when his body froze at the sound of that voice. He struggled to remember when he heard it last, so many years had gone by since then. His stomach threatened to drop into the void, and his heart would be quick to follow. The dead do not come back to life. He knows that; everyone knows that.

It's a different story altogether if they never died in the first place.

"Summer,"

Her name on his lips tasted so bittersweet as he turned to face her. Nearly twenty years since he had seen her last and she looked the same as she always had. A few more wrinkles lined her eyes and mouth. She aged well, far better than he had. Her white cloak still as perfectly pure as the last time he had seen her. When she turned her back on everything she held dear.

"This is a surprise," Her voice was soft like she had not spoken for a long while. Her voice always made Qrow self-aware of his own voice. He often compared it to bricks rubbing against each other when he listened to hers.

"Well, it's not my first time being in here,"

"You never were good at staying out of trouble,"

He could almost see a smile on her small lips. How easy it was to fall into the familiar routine of quips and small talk. There was an endless expanse between them, a silence that dragged on that neither of them wanted to cross, to sit and reminisce of better times, but the building shook, and windows outside started to bleed smoke. "Why are you here?" he stepped into the expanse and broke the silence between them.

"She's making her move," Summer said as she turned and walked up to the window. Qrow saw the glint of Harbinger in her other hand, her own weapon still hidden inside her cloak. "She has been silent for too long, and now it's time for her to do what she had always promised to do,"

"What does she want?" Summer was silent; he could not see what she was looking at through the window, his gaze stuck on her features. When she did speak, her voice was a whisper.

"Does she hate me?"

Qrow knew who Summer was talking about; he could feel the hurt coming off of her at the thought of her. "No," Qrow said to Summer's surprise. "Ruby thinks you're dead, they all do,"

"Why?"

"'Cause I wanted them to remember you as you were," He said as he remembers Summer Rose as the quick-witted leader of his team. The loving mother to two beautiful girls and the best friend he ever had. "Not as you are now," Qrow felt the pin in his hand, the edges cutting into his palm as he watched his other friend who had turn away and did what he believed was good and right in this world.

"Not what you had become,"

"And what have I become, Qrow?" She asked. She turned to face Qrow again, and he saw the fire in her eyes. He did not want to answer that since there was no right choice, so he stayed silent. "What could I have done? Salem can't be killed, she can't be stopped, there is nothing to be done! I know because I tried!" Whenever Summer raised her voice at Qrow, he was terrified at the consequences that followed.

"Then why, why are you helping her!"

"Because she promised me," fire was replaced with tears in her eyes. "She promised me that my children would be safe if I did as she asked." With a deep breath, Summer raised Harbinger and pointed the large blade right at him.

"Where's the boy with Ozpin's soul?"

"I don't know,"

"Where's the Relic of Knowledge?"

"Safe with him."

Summer narrowed her eyes and activated the firearm function on Qrow's weapon. The blade came down and exposed the barrels of his heavy-duty shotgun. All Qrow could do was raise his fists and get ready for a fight. "You've never beaten me in a fair fight,"

"I won a few times,"

"You were lucky then."

Colver's pin in his hand burned at the word. Qrow was so tired of losing people he trusted over the years, he thought he had learned his lesson by now.

Before either of them moved, Summer turned her head slightly. Her eyes lost focus as she listened to something that was not there. With a sigh, she lowered the weapon and shook her head. "Looks like your luck is still holding," She then aimed the weapon at the glass and fired into the reinforced safety glass. The first round sent spider webs through the whole panel, a million small cracks blocked out the view. The second shot sent it all crumbling down to the grass below.

Dropping the weapon, Summer stepped up onto the ledge and held onto the ceiling as she searched the sky for something. "Next time, I won't be leaving so easily."

"Ruby will stop her!" Qrow shouted over the sounds of chaos that the window was blocking. "She's so strong now, they both are and will only get stronger." He could see the struggle in Summer's silver eyes. To return to her daughters and help them with her original goal. "You would be so proud of them,"

"I already am,"

He did nothing as her body fell apart. Turned into white rose petals that were captured by the wind and scattered in the air until Summer was gone completely, off to follow the orders of vengeance filled immortal. He scanned the skies for any sign of Summer's petals, but they were long gone by now. With a sigh, he picked up his weapon and slipped it back into its place on his back and looked at Clover's pin in his hand. The man's blood still staining the vibrant green, Qrow had not even had the chance to wash it off yet.

"Thanks for your help, pal," he whispered to it before slipping it into his chest pocket and running off down the hall Summer had come down from. Robyn still needed her weapon and Ruby was still counting on him. Qrow just hoped that was the last time he was going to see Summer Rose.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based on a crack theory I read a while ago that Summer is working for Salem after trying to kill her the first time. I can't find the original Tumblr post so if anyone knows what I'm talking about, could someone tell me so I can give proper credits.
> 
> If you enjoyed, leave a Kudo! If you already have, leave a comment! I love reading them and I love replying to them. This story is also posted on FF.net under the same name. So if you read there as well, come show your support!
> 
> And as always, thank you for taking time out of your busy days to read my slice of madness!


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